The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 74
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 74. Paran’s Hunting Competition (3)
“Tsk.”
The assassin’s eyes twitched as if convulsing.
At the point where he was conflicted about whether to reveal his client’s identity, he had already lost his qualifications as an assassin.
“If you tell me, I’ll just let you go. I’ll even keep the fact that you came here a secret.”
“…You’ll keep it a secret?”
The assassin narrowed his eyes at my words.
“You expect me to believe that?”
To prove that someone had instigated the prince’s murder, I would need to present him as a witness.
But not only was I offering to let him go, I was even saying I’d bury the fact that he came here at all – it was reasonable for him to be suspicious.
“Then just keep your mouth shut and die.”
The assassin seemed to hesitate for a moment at my words.
But from the way he was rolling his eyes, it looked like he was looking for a chance to escape rather than planning to confess.
‘As if I’d let that happen.’
The assassin, who had been slowly moving sideways while watching me, suddenly widened his eyes.
Only then did he seem to realize something was wrong and frowned.
“…What is this, paralysis poison?”
“That’s right.”
“Hah. If I didn’t have resistance to poison, I would have collapsed long ago.”
The assassin looked down at the arrow stuck in his leg, then turned his gaze back to me.
“Now I’m really curious about your identity. Are you perhaps the same type as us?”
“So who sent you? Why did you target the 3rd Prince?”
It was a ridiculous situation where we were each only saying what we wanted to say.
But neither of us had any intention of answering the other’s questions.
A silent standoff continued.
“I’ll ask once more. Let me tell you in advance, I’m not particularly patient. So it would be better to answer when I ask nicely.”
I threw another question at the assassin, who still seemed to have no intention of opening his mouth.
“Was it the 2nd Empress who hired you?”
Meanwhile, the assassin seemed like he would remain silent again, but then slowly opened his mouth.
“From what I can see, you don’t seem to be royalty or nobility either, so what are you trying to find out? Even if you knew, there’s nothing a bitch like you could do about it.”
“Cut the useless chatter, and speak if you don’t want to die.”
“Go ahead and kill me.”
At that moment, a strange light flickered in the assassin’s eyes.
I could feel the strong determination and defiance that a human facing death exudes.
“If you can kill me, that is!”
The assassin broke the arrow shaft stuck in his leg and charged straight at me.
Even though the paralysis poison should have spread, his movements were quite fast.
“Tch!”
I clicked my tongue and drew two daggers hidden under my skirt.
They were among the hidden weapons in my luggage bag that had been brought from the Back Alleys.
‘It was a stroke of genius to leave weapons stored there because it was annoying to carry them on every business trip.’
How uncomfortable it had been to keep them strapped to my inner thighs while hunting.
I quickly crossed the daggers in both hands in front of me.
Claaang!
The sword the assassin thrust and my daggers collided, and a metallic sound split the air.
Then his mouth opened wide enough to be visible even under his mask.
“Ha, hahahaha! As I thought!”
The assassin burst into laughter upon seeing me deflect his sword.
He seemed extremely excited for some reason.
“You’re the same type as us!”
“…You’re free to think whatever you want, but you’d better shut that mouth of yours.”
I readjusted my grip on the daggers and twisted up one corner of my mouth.
“Among all the bastards who’ve called me a bitch, none have died peacefully.”
Clang, clang clang clang.
As soon as I finished speaking, the assassin charged at me like a madman.
It seemed like he was deliberately launching an offensive to distract me.
‘How simple.’
This time I smoothly deflected the assassin’s consecutive strikes.
Then I spun my body and kicked the assassin’s temple with my foot.
“Kugh!”
It happened so quickly there was no time to react.
The assassin groaned as he was slammed into the ground.
“Now then.”
I crouched down in front of him with graceful movements.
Then I roughly grabbed his jaw with my hands.
Sure enough, there was a small poison sac inside his forcibly opened mouth.
“I can’t let you die comfortably before I get my answers.”
I continued speaking while holding his jaw to prevent him from clenching his teeth.
“So who was it that ordered you to kill the 3rd Prince…”
That’s when it happened.
“Aaaaah!”
A faint scream came from far away.
The problem was that the scream was from a very familiar voice.
‘Edwin?’
Without realizing it, I turned my head toward the direction of the scream.
‘Could there have been remnants?’
That couldn’t be. I had definitely confirmed there were no other presences around before coming.
“Kugh!”
Just then, the assassin took advantage of my loosened guard and shook his head while clenching his teeth.
The poison sac burst and fresh blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
“Damn it!”
I tried to pry his mouth open belatedly, but it was useless.
He had already swallowed the poison.
The assassin giggled as he watched my flustered state.
“Stupid, bitch.”
The light in his eyes gradually faded.
Perhaps he instinctively knew this was the end.
“To the 3rd Prince…”
The assassin looked straight into my eyes and spat out a single phrase.
“The Breath of the Angel will reach him.”
Breath of the Angel.
The place where my past life had given everything. At the same time, the place where I had lost everything.
My breathing became unsteady at that all-too-familiar name.
“What does that mean…”
I knew in my head that I needed to hurry back to Edwin, but my hands moved on their own.
I slowly reached out and removed the dead assassin’s mask.
“Son of a fucking bitch…”
It was a face I knew.
He was definitely one of those who used to follow Ian around.
Since the unit leader was a woman, those who wouldn’t listen to me meant that the role of controlling them fell entirely to Ian.
‘An Organization member interfered with Imperial Palace affairs.’
It felt like a hot stone was lodged in the center of my chest.
I clenched my hand that was gripping the mask.
‘That means.’
Does this mean Ian is connected to the Imperial Palace’s power struggles?
My mind became too complicated to think about anything.
I stood there in a daze for a long while.
“…Your Highness!”
Then I belatedly remembered that Edwin had screamed.
I quickly gathered all the belongings from the assassin’s body and mounted my horse.
I hurriedly returned to where I had been, but Edwin wasn’t there.
The horse he had been riding was gone too, leaving only the cart behind.
‘The hunting spoils are still here.’
Seeing that the cart was left untouched, it seemed Edwin really was the only target.
I examined the direction of the hoofprints on the ground.
‘It looks like the horse suddenly bolted. I don’t see any other hoofprints, so it doesn’t seem like there was a pursuit.’
The hoofprints led into the pathless thicket.
I struck the reins and plunged into it without hesitation.
To find the young prince who would be wandering alone in the darkness.
* * *
The sun was setting.
It was time to wrap up the Imperial Palace’s hunting competition.
Buuuuu.
As the horn announcing the end of the competition echoed through the hunting grounds, the royals and nobles began gathering at the starting point one by one.
Jerome, who had finished hunting early and returned to stay by The Emperor’s side, was leisurely watching the scene.
That’s when it happened.
“Commander.”
“What is it, Philip.”
Jerome looked puzzled at his vice-commander who seemed anxious about something.
“The 3rd Prince hasn’t returned.”
“What?”
“All the other royals and nobles have returned, but only The 3rd Prince is still…”…”
Jerome tried to appear calm as he looked around. Just as his subordinate said, The 3rd Prince was nowhere to be seen.
The arrogant caretaker who always followed him like a shadow was also missing, so it seemed he really hadn’t returned.
“Didn’t we station knights in the areas where the royals hunt? Where is The 3rd Prince right now…”
“Well, according to the knight who last saw His Highness, The Prince suddenly spurred his horse and bolted outside the hunting area…”
“Hah.”
Jerome swept his bangs back in frustration.
‘I thought he was finally coming to his senses and acting like a proper prince, but he’s damaging his own status like this.’
He glanced sideways at The Emperor standing a little distance away.
The Emperor didn’t like unexpected actions. To be precise, he didn’t like those who acted in ways that harmed the honor and dignity of the royal family.
“Send out the knights immediately to find The 3rd Prince…”
“Jerome.”
Just then, The Emperor called him over.
Flustered, Jerome approached his lord with an awkward gait.
“What is it, Your Majesty.”
“I don’t see Edwin.”
As expected. There was no way someone as perceptive as The Emperor wouldn’t notice Edwin’s absence.
Jerome cleared his throat and lowered his voice.
“Well, His Highness seems to have some circumstances…”
“If he were in the hunting grounds, there’s no way he couldn’t have heard the horn.”
“That’s true, but I’ve already sent knights to find His Highness. If you could just wait a little longer…”
“No.”
The Emperor continued speaking with an expressionless face, staring straight ahead.
“I can’t make others wait for that child. This is clearly a competition, wouldn’t that go against fairness.”
“But.”
“Not returning within the designated time is also grounds for disqualification. Even if he’s my son, there are no exceptions.”
Even so, his own child had practically disappeared in these vast hunting grounds, yet he was talking about fairness.
Should I say this was truly like The Emperor.
‘If he’s taking this stance, it means he absolutely won’t bend his will, so there’s nothing I can do.’
Jerome bowed his head, suppressing the sigh that was about to escape.
“Then let’s start with announcing the winner. I’ve told the knights to bring Prince Edwin immediately when they find him, so they’ll find him soon.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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